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On the Feast of Christ the King - 'The Council and the Eclipse of God' - Part XVIII - by Don Pietro Leone – Part 4 of Chapter 4 on Religious Liberty - Christ the King (b): Silence in the Liturgy ‘Christ my King, to Thee alone do I pledge my love, pure as a lily, and my fidelity unto death’ Silence in the Liturgy Michael Davies shows how the new, non-Catholic, that is to say false, social teaching introduced by the Council finds its expression in the new, post-Conciliar liturgy. Speaking of the Feast of Christ the King...

Even if you’re a Protestant who doesn’t accept the magisterial authority of the bishop who founded tomorrow’s feast, you can use Christ the King Sunday to reflect on the political allegiance that, for Christians, trumps all others. You can decide whether you think Pius is right both to emphasize that Christ’s “kingdom is spiritual and is concerned with spiritual things” and yet still has some authority “in civil affairs, since, by virtue of the absolute empire over all creatures committed to him by the Father, all things are in his power.” The 20th century notion of dedicating one Sunday each...

A Biblical Portrait of Christ Our Risen and Glorified King Msgr. Charles Pope • November 27, 2017 • Given that Sunday was the Feast of Christ the King and that we have begun to read the Book of Revelation in the Office of Readings, this is an opportune time to examine the glorious portrait of Jesus Christ presented in Revelation 1:8-20. It is a portrait of the risen Christ in all His glory. The vision is of a high Christology. The Christ that is encountered here is the Lord of glory, who has attained to His glorious kingdom and...

Not Your Average King – A Homily for the Feast of Christ the King Msgr. Charles Pope • November 25, 2017 • The readings for this Feast of Christ the King evoke three images of Christ as King. All of them are to some extent paradoxical because they emphasize things we don’t usually associate with kings. They also tell us that we have already met King Jesus even if we don’t realize it. Let’s look at these three images of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of all Creation: I. Caring King – The first reading, from Ezekiel 34, speaks...

November 26, 2017 The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Reading 1 Ez 34:11-12, 15-17 Thus says the Lord GOD:I myself will look after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flockwhen he finds himself among his scattered sheep,so will I tend my sheep.I will rescue them from every place where they were scatteredwhen it was cloudy and dark. I myself will pasture my sheep;I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD. The lost I will seek out,the strayed I will bring back,the injured I will bind up,the sick I will...

Catholics praying Hail Mary removed by Police from Brussels Cathedral during "Reformation Celebration" It must be one of the most shameful episodes of our shameful hierarchy of atrocious bishops.  In Brussels Cathedral, the 500 years of the hideous acts of heresiarch Luther were celebrated. What did a small group of serious Catholics do? They pleaded Our Lord for forgiveness, by invoking the aid of Our Lady in the Ave Maria. The result? These brave Catholics were forcibly removed from the Cathedral by the Police, certainly called by Cathedral staff.  Removed. By the Police. For praying to Our Lady. In a Catholic church....

Full title: Sermon for Christ the King: Catholic Paralysis following Vatican II Threatens Very Foundation of the Church Sermon for Christ the King: Catholic Paralysis following Vatican II Threatens Very Foundation of the Church by Fr. Richard Cipolla St. Mary's Norwalk, Connecticut Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth.” (John 18:37-38) The Feast of Christ the King was added to the Roman Calendar in Pope Pius XI’s Encyclical Quas...

Should the Feast of Christ the King Be Celebrated in October or November? With the revival of the traditional Roman Mass throughout the Church, a number of rather significant calendar differences between old and new make themselves increasingly felt by the faithful and those who minister to them. We are all aware, but no one better than our dedicated clergy, that almost every Sunday of the year would demand two different homilies if the same priest, intending to preach on the readings of the day, celebrated Masses in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms. One of the most egregious differences...

Why did Pope Pius XI, when he established the Feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ with his encyclical Quas Primas un 1925, not choose for it the last Sunday of the liturgical year (as Paul VI did later for his new mass), but rather the Last Sunday in October? The short answer is simple: Christ the King is the Anti-Luther. The Lord is not the king of this or that German princedom, changing doctrines according to the whim of the moment. He's the King of the Universe, unchanging and unchangeable. As a counter-feast of the "Reformation Sunday"...

Archdiocese of Washington King of Thieves and King of the Universe – A Homily for the Solemnity of Christ the King Msgr. Charles Pope • November 19, 2016 • Jesus Christ is King of Thieves, though He never stole. He is savior of sinners, though He never sinned.Today’s Gospel chosen presents Jesus as reigning from the cross. Nothing could be more paradoxical. Let’s look at it from four perspectives: I. Vision – Today’s Gospel presents a vision or image of the Church. We like to think of more pleasant images: the Church is the Bride of Christ or the Body...

In a ceremony at the Church of Divine Mercy in Krakow, Poland on Saturday, the Catholic Bishops of Poland in the presence of President Andrzei Duda and many Catholic pilgrims, officially recognized Jesus Christ as the King of Poland and called upon Him to rule over their nation, its people and their political leaders. “Immortal King of Ages Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Savior,” they declared at the ceremony, “bowing our heads before You, King of the Universe, we acknowledge Thy dominion over Poland, those living in our homeland and throughout the world. Wishing to worship the majesty of...

Is Christ Really Your King? A Homily for the Feast of Christ the King Is Christ Really Your King? A Homily for the Feast of Christ the King Msgr. Charles Pope • November 21, 2015 • On the feast of Christ the King, we are called to acknowledge that Jesus is in fact our King. It is one thing to say that He is our King because the song in Church says that, or the preacher says that, or the Bible says that (yes, faith does come by hearing). But it is quite another for us to personally say that...

The Strangest of Kings! A Homily for the Feast of Christ the King By: Msgr. Charles PopeThe reading today on this Feast of Christ the King evokes three images of Christ as King. All of them are to some extent paradoxical, for they emphasize things about a king that we don’t usually think of in relation to a king. They also tell us that we have already met King Jesus, even if we didn’t know it. Let’s look at these three images of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of all Creation.I. Caring King - The first reading, from Ezekiel...

Explanation: In this night skyscape setting stars trail above the western horizon over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a venue for the 2014 World Cup. Gentle arcs from the bright, colorful stars of Orion are near the center of the frame, while the starfield itself straddles planet Earth's celestial equator during the long exposure. Of course, trails from more local lights seem to create the strident paths through the scene. Air traffic smears an intense glow over an airport at the far right, while helicopters fly above the city and boats cruise near the coast. Striping the waterfront are tantalizing reflections...

Explanation: The Sun set on Friday the 13th as a full Honey Moon rose, captured in this well-planned time-lapse sequence. Lisbon, Portugal's Christ the King monument is in the foreground, about 6 kilometers distant from camera and telephoto lens. During the days surrounding today's solstice (June 21, 10:51 UT) the Sun follows its highest arc through northern hemisphere skies as it travels along the ecliptic plane. At night the ecliptic plane is low, and the Full Moon's path close to the ecliptic was also low, the rising Moon separating more slowly from the distant horizon. Northern moon watchers were likely...

Jesus Christ is King of Thieves, though he never stole. He is savior of sinners though he himself never sinned.Perhaps we can look at this Gospel and feast from four perspectives:I. Vision - In the Gospel for today’s feast we have vision or an image for the Church. We like to think of more pleasant images such as the Church being the Bride of Christ or the Body of Christ. Today’s image is less exalted and more humbling to be sure, but it is an image just the same: The Image of the Church is Christ, crucified between two thieves....

We have come back to the last Sunday of the liturgical year.  In the post-Conciliar calendar of the Roman Church this is the Solemnity of Christ the King.  In the older calendar, this is celebrated (with a rather different meaning!) at the end of October.Each year Holy Church presents to us the history of salvation, from Creation to the Lord’s Coming (the First and also the Final).Today’s Solemnity is an anticipation of the season of Advent, which  focuses on the different ways in which the Lord comes to us, especially in the Second Coming.At this time of year (November) we...

November 25, 2012 The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Reading 1 Dn 7:13-14 As the visions during the night continued, I sawone like a Son of man coming,on the clouds of heaven;when he reached the Ancient Oneand was presented before him,the one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.His dominion is an everlasting dominionthat shall not be taken away,his kingship shall not be destroyed. Responsorial Psalm Ps 93:1, 1-2, 5 R. (1a) The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.The LORD is king, in splendor robed;robed is...

When I first heard "For Greater Glory" (originally titled "Cristiada," which I prefer) was being shot, I was stunned -- and skeptical. It never could be produced by Hollywood. In fact, it wouldn't be a theatrical release, maybe a short documentary, certainly with a small budget. On the former, I was correct; it was made in Mexico. On the latter, I was wrong; it's a full-fledged major motion picture with grade-A talent. And it's wonderful. The cast includes Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria, Peter O'Toole (in a cameo role as a murdered priest, the octogenarian is splendid), Ruben Blades and...

The principal at a Catholic elementary school in Winnipeg faces possible dismissal after he allowed students to count the 40 Days for Life vigil towards community service hours. Principal David Hood of Christ the King School advertised the local 40 Days campaign in a recent newsletter and then allowed students who approached him to join the vigil to satisfy part of the 10 hours of community service required of grade 7 and 8 students. The move led to a media firestorm this week with calls for the school, which is independent and under the auspices of the Archdiocese, but receives...